


Into The Water

by MidoriKurenaiYume



Series: Far on the Water [6]
Category: Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Betaed, Dialogue, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 09:56:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14746652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidoriKurenaiYume/pseuds/MidoriKurenaiYume
Summary: How Arturia and Gilgamesh’s children made their lives livelier every single day.





	Into The Water

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short extra that concludes the Far on the Water series, therefore I recommend reading Believe, Heavenly Blue, Ring Your Bell, Identify and One Light first ;)  
> Thank you to HiddenCamellia for the support, and thank you so, so much to MimiBlue for editing this whole series :D
> 
> Title: from a Kalafina short song, part of the album 'Far on the Water' :)))

…

…

…

Jini concentrated on keeping her balance, as she was in precarious equilibrium on Shaan’s shoulders, and struggled once again to stretch her arm as far as possible, hoping to reach the cookie jar.

She had a sweet tooth, just like her mother, and while her twin wasn’t quite as fond of cookies as she was, he did like them, and was therefore very willing to help her out in her quest if it meant causing trouble _and_ getting some sweets.

However, reaching out once again made her lose her balance, and she only had the time to let out a shriek in warning and grasp blindly at something before stumbling down, falling over her brother messily. And when the two toddlers managed to disentangle themselves from one another and push off the large table cloth Jini had grabbed, they found their mother’s emerald eyes staring at them.

One eyebrow raised, Arturia looked at her children with a mix of amusement, reproach and slight disappointment. She had believed she had made it clear that the cookies were only for dessert, something they could enjoy eating _after_ a meal and not before – especially since they had set strict mealtimes in which they ate more than enough – but she shouldn’t have underestimated Jini’s stubbornness. When she set a goal for herself, she didn’t allow anyone to deter her; the fact that she had a twin brother who was always eager to go along with her plans was also a factor that increased the likelihood of her success.

Sighing, Arturia weighed her options. She could let the matter go, but it wouldn’t be either productive or educational. She could reprimand her kids, but while they would listen to her, the temptation was not going to make them listen for a long while and it would not teach them discipline. Or, the option she wasn’t very willing to go through with, she could make sure they got punished for ignoring her stern warnings. And this was unfortunately the best way to make sure they learned their lesson.

Perhaps it was for the best if her husband took part in the punishment as well; given that Gilgamesh wasn’t fond of sweets, it was going to be easier for him to find an exemplary, creative and suitable castigation for them. Or just a castigation of any kind, to be fair.

Jini and Shaan stared at their mother with slight apprehension. They knew that she would never hurt them, but they knew that some sort of punishment was indeed coming. They also knew, from experience, that running away was not going help them in the least because first, Mama was going to catch them, and second, she was going to be twice as annoyed, thus making the punishment more severe.

Arturia sighed again, making up her mind. If she chose the punishment she had in mind, she would be involving herself in it too, but since she was trying to set a good example, it was unavoidable. Besides, she had indeed been eating too many cookies herself lately.

“Very well,” she began, slowly. “Since you can’t seem to respect meal times, I’m afraid you will have to stay without cookies for a full week.”

Both children blanched at that, and Shaan immediately spoke up, “Mama, no–!”

“Two weeks,” Arturia corrected, and this time Jini spoke first.

“But Mama…!”

“ _Three_ weeks,” Arturia went on, and finally understanding that saying anything else was only going to increase the time of their castigation, the two children fell silent.

While three weeks without sweets was harsh enough as punishment, they thought that would be the extent of it – but Arturia wasn’t done.

“Now,” she continued, “you are going to come with me to the study, and your father and I will decide how you two should employ your time more productively.”

Jini and Shaan’s eyes widened in slight shock at what awaited them, but they were smart enough not to say anything, knowing that their mother did not speak her words idly.

Less than five minutes later, they were in the large study in which they knew their parents worked together to manage the kingdom, where they actually were king and queen and took care of their duties. Their father had been discussing something with Uncle Enkidu, but had concluded the conversation swiftly once his wife had come into the room with the two culprits in tow.

She had explained the situation to him, and the way his crimson eyes had gleamed at them in amusement had comforted the twins a bit, believing that he wasn’t going to be too harsh on them.

To their dismay, however, he whispered for a while with their mother, then kissed her cheek lovingly before standing up and taking out several scrolls.

“There is nothing wrong with desiring sweets,” Gilgamesh said casually, pondering briefly over a couple other larger scrolls before taking them both out. “However, they are a reward, and they must be _earned_.”

He turned to stare at them both. “You’re old enough now,” he stated, and while there was a smirk on his face, there was also something gentle in his eyes. “You will be without cookies for at least three weeks, as your mother rightfully decided, because you tried to steal them. That will however not be all.” His smirk widened. “Starting today you will help copy the scrolls about the records of the village, from harvests to temperatures to population numbers, as it will be more useful for your learnings than just theoretical lessons. You will also be expected to spend at least two hours outside, as helping tend to the gardens will teach you the importance of regular physical exercise instead of casual one.”

He surveyed them keenly, and then exchanged a brief glance with his wife before smirking again. “Lastly, as you tried to take sweets secretly, it’s obvious that you are unaware of the amount of work that goes into making them. Starting tomorrow, you will therefore be in the kitchens too, and if you learn how to make edible cookies before the three weeks are over and _without stealing any more food in the meantime_ ,” both adults gave them a stern glare, and the children gulped, “you will be allowed to eat them.”

Jini and Shaan exchanged a glance, considering what to do. It seemed however that their parents were not giving them the time to find ways to sneak around the arrangements, because they put two small, slightly ruined scrolls in front of them together with two brand new, white ones, making them sit down at the same time.

“Begin copying,” Arturia said quietly, but still with some steel in her voice. “Later you will come with me to wash the tablecloth.”

The children stared at her, uncomprehending, until she held up the piece of fabric Jini had grabbed when she had fallen off her brother’s shoulders and that they had stepped on repeatedly while trying to get up from the floor. While the floor itself was usually spotless thanks to the servants dutifully keeping the castle clean at the queen’s orders, they obviously weren’t going to use that dirtied table cloth near food without washing it first.

As they took up their quills to gloomily start the work they had been assigned, they saw their father and mother resume their own writing too, making sure they weren’t working alone. The king and queen would punish their children when they exaggerated with their mischief, but not cruelly.

Arturia allowed her husband to pass his arm around her waist in order to make her sit closer to him, and looked up at the twins briefly, pleased to see that they were already writing.

“Had you _asked_ for the cookies, and perhaps offered to do something in exchange, know that you probably would have gotten what you wanted,” she informed them.

After several years, the idea of anyone trying to sneak behind her back still didn’t sit well with her, even when it was her young children and about something simple and inconsequential as eating sweets, and Gilgamesh knew that very well. “If you try to do things in secret and for your own gain, you will not make anyone proud.”

The kids lowered their heads, feeling the disappointment in their mother’s tone, and by the trembling of their lips, it was obvious that they were holding back tears. Still, Gilgamesh and Arturia waited.

Jini and Shaan stood up, running to them and burying their faces into their waiting arms, and burst out their apologies. Soothing their children was something they much preferred over scolding them, and the king and queen were more than happy to embrace them tightly and let them calm down.

Arturia smiled at them, leaning forward to kiss their cheeks, before sending them back to their seats.

“If you finish your chores quickly, perhaps we can go swim at the river in the afternoon,” she offered.

The twins’ eyes became large, and they darted quickly between her and their father.

“With you and Papa? Today?” they asked almost in unison, barely holding back their excitement. While they were always ready to spend time with their children, Arturia and Gilgamesh didn’t often get the opportunity to actually go out and play with them.

“With your mother and me, yes,” Gilgamesh confirmed, and the children smiled widely, clapping and almost knocking over their chairs, before controlling themselves and beginning to copy again with renewed fervour. The promise of later delight made them diligent with amusing quickness.

Gilgamesh pressed a kiss to his beloved wife’s temple, knowing that going swimming with their daughter and son later meant having to complete their large workload equally quickly, but he didn’t mind, and he knew that she didn’t either.

Being with their family was never a burden, and it was always worth it.

...

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**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!! :D :D :D


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